Career comparison
Community Health Worker vs. Healthcare Social Worker
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Healthcare social workers earn more at the median ($67,880 vs. $51,850), while community health workers usually get to work faster (1–3 months of training). Community health workers connect neighbors with health care and help them stay healthy. Healthcare social workers help patients and families cope with illness and plan care after the hospital.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Community Health Worker | Healthcare Social Worker | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $51,850 ($24.93/hr) | $67,880 ($32.63/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $38,810 – $77,180 | $46,220 – $100,360 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | +12.7% (much faster than average) | +8.5% (much faster than average) |
| Openings per year | 7,000 | 16,900 |
| Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalent | Master's degree |
| Training time | 1–3 months | 6 years (BSW + MSW) |
| Key credential | State CHW certification | Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) |
| Work setting | CHWs work in clinics, hospitals, health departments, nonprofits and out in the community.. | Healthcare social workers work in hospitals, hospices, clinics and patients’ homes.. |
What each job does
Community Health Worker
- Conduct outreach and home visits
- Help people enroll in insurance
- Schedule and remind about appointments
- Teach about chronic disease and prevention
- Connect people with social services
Healthcare Social Worker
- Assess patient and family needs
- Plan hospital discharges
- Arrange home care and placements
- Counsel patients and families
- Help with advance directives
How they’re similar
Both careers involve helping others, working with people, and in-demand. Both are part of the community, social & government services field, so many skills transfer between them.
Which should you choose?
Choose community health worker if…
- I want to help my community
- I build trust easily
- I speak a community language
Choose healthcare social worker if…
- I want to help patients and families
- I can handle illness and end-of-life conversations
- I like working with medical teams
Still torn? Take the Community Health Worker fit quiz and the Healthcare Social Worker fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, community health worker or healthcare social worker?
Healthcare Social Workers earn more at the median: $67,880 versus $51,850 for community health workers, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
Community Health Workers typically train faster (1–3 months) than healthcare social workers (6 years (BSW + MSW)).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects community health workers to grow +12.7% from 2025–35, compared with +8.5% for healthcare social workers.